Gorging on junk food thrice a week may lower immunity in kids, raising their risk of asthma and eczema, according to an international study.

Up to half of world's food goes to waste, report says

In a first of its kind experiment to identify specific trait from country's huge genetic resources, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) has characterised more than 5000 varieties of wheat germplasms for development of better seed varieties which could withstand climate change issues.

The national seed bank which operates under NBPGR, has more than four lakh accessions out of which around 1.2 lakh belongs to only rice and wheat varieties.

Wheat an exception but observers say 5-10 per cent damage possible clear trend likely next month

The optimism of policy makers that an increase in the rabi crop output in 2012-13 would compensate the loss of kharif production due to monsoon delay might be dashed, as a cold wave is taking a toll. Sowing has risen 2.6 per cent but even so, overall agricultural output this year might be lower than last year due tothe impact of the cold on pulses, vegetables and oilseeds. However, wheat output might get a boost due to the presence of moisture in the weather.

The use of technologically advanced seeds is currently much lower in the production of rice than in other crops

Rice output in India can be raised at least 15-20 per cent through increased use of hybrid seeds, a Rabobank study said. The use of technologically advanced seeds is currently much lower in the production of rice than in other crops. Of the total annual rice output in India — around 99 million tonnes, according to US Department of Agriculture estimates for the 2012-13 season — only three per cent is produced through hybrid seeds. The remaining quantity comes through breeding of conventional seeds.

Dept of horticulture plans to develop garden on 2,500 acres of land in Mysore district.

Most food items contain toxins like mercury, pesticides and acrylamide that can affect children in the long run

Even healthy food like fruit, vegetables, meat and fish might be putting children’s health at risk. These food items also contain toxins like mercury, pesticides and acrylamide that can, over a long time, make children vulnerable to cancer and affect their nervous and reproductive systems. This is the finding of a study on effects of 11 such food-borne toxins on people of different age groups in the US, carried out by researchers from the University of California, Davis, and University of California, Los Angeles. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, professor and chief of the division of environmental and occupational health at University of California, Davis, says toxins in food affect children the most as their brains and other organs are still developing.

AHMEDABAD: Organized retail provides some hope to see farmers get their share of benefits but the post-harvest issues in horticulture commodities could only solve with joint participation from private and public sector, says a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

The working paper 'Organized Retailing of Horticultural Commodities' by Piyush Kumar Sinha, professor at IIM-A and Sujo Thomas, academic associate at IIM-A discusses the changes in horticulture retail, which is mostly referred as the selling of fresh fruits and vegetables.